CITAC/ASDA SHRIMP TASK FORCE LAUNCHES AD CAMPAIGN
WARNING CONSUMERS OF HIGHER PRICES AS A RESULT
OF SHRIMP IMPORT DUTIES

Washington , DC — The CITAC/ASDA Shrimp Task Force launched a print ad campaign today to educate consumers about the potential price increases for America's #1 seafood should the International Trade Commission impose duties on imported shrimp.

The headline of the ad reads, “Shrimp Tariffs are enough to make you lose your Appetite,” and features photos of two identical plates of shrimp. Under one plate is a caption that reads, “$10.99 Fried Shrimp Dinner Before Tariffs.” Beneath the other photo is a caption: “$15.99 Fried Shrimp Dinner After Tariffs.” The ad also provides facts regarding the shrimp trade case, outlining the threat that a new food tax in the form of duties would have on shrimp prices and U.S. jobs.

The advertisement appears today in USA Today, tomorrow (July 8) in The Hill, and may appear in other publications in the coming weeks. To view the shrimp advertisement online, visit citac.info/shrimp/print/ShrimpTariffs_AdforUSAToday.pdf.

“We wanted to make consumers aware that this trade case will have a direct impact on the wallets of all Americans who enjoy shrimp,” said Russ Mentzer, President and CEO of King & Prince Seafood in Brunswick, Georgia, and a member of the Shrimp Task Force. “Consumers need to know that a victory for the petitioners in this case means that they will be paying higher prices for shrimp at restaurants and in grocery stores and retail outlets. It's that simple — if the domestic shrimpers win, the American consumer loses.”

On July 6, the Department of Commerce announced preliminary margins on shrimp imports from China ranging from 0.04 percent to 112.81 percent, and from Vietnam ranging from 12.11 percent to 93.13 percent. These duties will take effect in approximately one week. The Commerce Department denied the domestic shrimpers' demand that these duties be applied retroactively to Vietnam, but accepted the demand for certain China-based exporters.

The Shrimp Task Force recently released analyses which found that antidumping food taxes imposed on shrimp imports would cause prices for all shrimp sold in the U.S. to soar as high as 44%, and that such a price hike could be accompanied by a one-third fall in shrimp consumption. In addition, in a survey of the country's top 200 chain restaurants, Food Beat Inc. found that offerings of shrimp menu items increased 47% during the last five years. A third   study shows a sharp increase in grocery store and retail purchases of shrimp by American consumers of all income levels during the past several years.

“Make no mistake about it,” said Shrimp Task Force Chairman Wally Stevens, “duties on shrimp imports will result in higher shrimp prices for consumers just as they've come to expect and enjoy greater access to shrimp at restaurants and retail stores. The petitioners may assert that some imaginary 'middleman profits' will cushion the blow of price increases, but the bottom line is that if the petitioners are successful in imposing taxes on imports, U.S. consumers' access to high-quality, affordable shrimp will be seriously jeopardized.”

Due to the threat that duties pose to both consumers and to the consuming industries that serve them, the Consuming Industries Trade Action Coalition (CITAC) has formed an alliance with the American Seafood Distributors Association (ASDA), bringing together concerned grocers, restaurants, processors, distributors, business councils and U.S. exporters to form the CITAC/ASDA Shrimp Task Force. The goal of the Shrimp Task Force is to assure that the U.S. government considers all the facts in the case fairly and objectively, with a full understanding of the ramifications of any decision.

For more information, contact George Felcyn at or .